Author: Diane Schoemperlen

When I pulled this book off the shelf Pat commented that it was recommended through one of his writing groups and he really liked it. I warned him when I was a few chapters in that it wasn’t going to get a high rating from me.

The idea was interesting. Mary, as in the Virgin Mary, arrives in the narrator’s living room and asks to stay with her in her home for a short time. The narrator goes into some detail about Mary – her history, the apparitions of her, her miracles – and, occasionally, Mary adds a little something to to story.

I think the author’s notes clears up a lot – it is an exploration of the fiction/non-fiction continuum. All the accounts of Mary are true but Mary did not actually appear in the author’s living room.

Goodreads Rating: * *

Author: Sarah Pinborough

We watched the first episode of this series on Netflix and thought it was a light romantic comedy. We didn’t carry on with it but when I saw the book had a good rating from someone on one of my lists I picked it up from the library. Boy were we wrong about the story.

Louise meets David one night at a bar and they both feel a spark of a relationship but it goes no further. When Louise arrives at work the next day her new boss is David. Later in the week Louise runs into Adele, who is David’s wife; Louise knows she is David’s wife because she saw David and Adele being welcomed into the practise by another partner. Adele doesn’t want David to know that she knows Louise so Louise doesn’t mention it. Sound complicated – just wait until David and Louise start an actual affair.

I had several theories throughout the story as to how it was going to end. I was surprised by the second to last chapter but was satisfied with the ending. The last chapter set everything on its head and I never could have imagined it.

Goodreads Rating: * * * * *

Author: Heather Morris

Cilka was mentioned a few times in the book The Tattooist of Auschwitz. She was a good friend of Gita who eventually married the tattooist. She was taken from the general population and put in charge of the women who would be sent to the gas chambers the following day. She was repeatedly raped by a couple of SS officers and did what she had to do to survive. At one point she used her connections to get the tattooist back his job and in doing so likely saved his life.

After surviving three years at Auschwitz-Birkenau, Cilka was convicted of “sleeping with the enemy” and sentence to 15 years of hard labour at a Siberian prison camp where the conditions were almost as bad as they had been at the concentration camp. I can’t imagine how she forced herself to keep going day after day and year after year.

How do you truly rate these horrendous stories that emerge from the Second World War and the struggles of Nazi-occupied territories?

Goodreads Rating: * * *

Author: Kelly Rimmer

Another story emerging from the Second World War; this one takes place in Poland during the war and in the US many years after the war.

Aline and Tomasz grew up in Poland and were engaged when Tomasz left their small village to attend medical school. When the war broke out Aline’s hardships on the farm were no less difficult than Tomasz’ in the city. Tomasz eventually makes his way back to the village but he’s in hiding because of his work helping the Jewish population. A chance for them to escape by smuggling photos out of Poland arises and they take it.

Alice is Aline’s granddaughter. Aline has suffered a stroke and is unable to speak but she manages to communicate to Alice that she wants her to go back to Poland. Alice is given a short list of names and addresses with no explanation as to who or what they mean.

Goodreads Rating: * * * *